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  • Follow the 2026 Olympia on September 24 to 27, 2026!

Bulk now or later

M

milhouse

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Oct 3, 2015
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What's up guys. Completely new to bodybuilding and I need some advice

A little about me: 25 years old, 6ft 90kg BUT a lot of my weight is fat accumulated on my chest and belly. I have skinny arms and legs, and little body muscle elsewhere.

My physique is awful, but I am dedicated to change it.

Should I begin a bulking diet/training routine or should I first focus on a low cal/cardio routine?

I'm thinking low cal diet to begin with because I feel losing my fat would be quicker and I'd be happier with my physique sooner.

Thanks
 
KaiGold

KaiGold

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What's up guys. Completely new to bodybuilding and I need some advice

A little about me: 25 years old, 6ft 90kg BUT a lot of my weight is fat accumulated on my chest and belly. I have skinny arms and legs, and little body muscle elsewhere.

My physique is awful, but I am dedicated to change it.

Should I begin a bulking diet/training routine or should I first focus on a low cal/cardio routine?

I'm thinking low cal diet to begin with because I feel losing my fat would be quicker and I'd be happier with my physique sooner.

Thanks
There is no reason you cant do both but start slow. If you push yourself to much at the beginning and make unrealistic goals you will fall to meet them and possible give up.

Good luck!
 
M

milhouse

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From what I've read online, it seems like I can't lose fat AND gain muscle at the same time..

What do you suggest specifically re training routine?
 
TalkAdmin

TalkAdmin

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Yes, ofcourse you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time! I am not as keen on this as the others here but basically eat a high protein, low fat diet, do cardio and lift weights. Trust me you will lose fat and gain muscle.
 
1

111kg

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You can't just lose fat and gain muscle in the same time, at least not after the first months of training. However, if you stop drinking sodas, stop eating bad foods and so on, you can definitely make a lot of progress, even in a short period of time.

If I were you, I'd start losing weight a bit, just to get comfortable with my body, and only after that I'd start a clean bulking phase. Keep in mind that you want muscle mass, not just...mass.
 
KingArcher

KingArcher

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I'd recommend you start by low cal/cardio AND lifting at the same time. When you are finished and satisfied with your body fat it's easier to start bulking and you will be able to see your muscle mass growing way quicker.
 
X

xenochristramu

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You should do what you'll be comfortable with. If you feel you could live with being fat for a while then bulk up. Otherwise, start cutting. Also, because of the how nutrient partitioning works, bulking while more than 15% bf won't be a good idea IMO, because a lot more of the gains would be fat. This is called the p-ratio, basically how much muscle you gain per kg body fat. What I recommend for beginners who are skinny fat is start cutting with a moderate amount of protein, and lift heavy doing a good program like SS with accessories. This way you'll lose your fat and get some noob strength gains too. In fact, research shows that beginners and fat people can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time! Why won't you take an advantage of that?

You should build a decent base by cutting first and getting a good base to start off with. Then start lean bulking. Trust me, I bulked hard as a beginner and didn't like my body at all at the end of the bulk. If you were into strength sports, I might suggest bulking. But if you are interested in bodybuilding, being and staying relatively lean is important. Also, most of the noob gains are based on nervous system getting efficient, and you can do that while cutting.

Pretty sure a lot of the ex-skinny fat, experienced guys would agree with me too.
 
C

coolyfrost

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Jan 22, 2016
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I'd recommend that you start lifting weights and do a bit of cardio every day before your workout. This way you will start to gain more confidence with weight training, you will increase your strength and you will also lose a bit of fat. Make sure that you are eating enough, and please don't cut out fats from your diet. Fats are extremely important for testosterone production. I would recommend that you cut carbs down much more than you do fat though. However, make sure that you're still eating a good amount of carbs because otherwise you won't have enough energy to do cardio or lift weights. It's all about slow progression.
 
Z

zonemik

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Low calore diet can help you lose a lot of weight but the main part is calorie distribution. You should take caloreis only from the healthy foods and not the unhealthy ones. Proper intake of protein and vitamins is also very important.
 
Heatman

Heatman

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If you need to lose weight, try as much as possible to cut down your calories intake and workout well almost on daily basis because you are definitely going to be burning lots of calories. Gym to build your muscles and tone your body to your taste.
 

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Alexandoy

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My suggestion is for you to focus on the workout first and you can check the diet or supplements later to evaluate which is good for you. One at a time. To develop the arms, do 30 to 50 push ups every morning and another set in the afternoon. If you have a dumbbell then that would be a good combination for the arms. You will notice that the exertion in the push up will also have a strain on your belly. After a month of that exercise routine and there is no change then you need to change your workout.
 
jeffreyjose48

jeffreyjose48

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I think it work both ways. The time that you exercise and grow more muscles you will also begin to lose fat. I think they go hand in hand. You should do work outs and exercises at the same time eat foods that can help grow muscles and burn fats.
 

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